


towards the sky

by AbsoluteTempest



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: V series fic, dad Dragonic Overlord, time skip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-10-12 05:35:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17461595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbsoluteTempest/pseuds/AbsoluteTempest
Summary: with his true self by his side, he knows he can even grasp the sun(v series episode 25 spoilers)





	towards the sky

His legs tangle down the dragon's shoulder as he vents about his day, how his uncle called him a burden, how his aunt cried because she had to take care of him. How his classmates stare and giggle at him for blurting out strange things.

A few times he thinks the dragon has stopped listening to him, fallen asleep while waiting for the rising sun. But then he feels the movement of his body, feels a large claw gently pat him on the top of his head.

I'm listening, he realizes what the dragon is saying. And so he continues talking and talking, as the stars start to disappear above them and the sky becomes lighter and lighter.

He thanks the dragon for earlier today, for being his strength when a bully challenged him to a cardfight, who wanted his cards for himself. The dragon snorts and he laughs. Despite being a hulking dragon, the leader of an entire empire, he always seem so bashful.

He continues to talk, but soon the dragon moves his hand, lifting one finger.

“ _Quiet_ ,” he hears the dragon say for the first time tonight. Another thing that betrays the dragon's image; he barely talks, only when necessary it seems. He told him, at some point, that his actions speak louder than his words. He struggles to think how anything could be louder than the dragon's booming voice. 

They watch in silence the rising sun over the valley, over the planet of Cray that he stumbles to sometimes. 

His eyes sparkle, in complete awe at the beauty of the valley, an impressive view even better riding on the shoulder of the dragon. The sun sparkles on the river that slices through the canyons, highlighting the outlines of dragons already soaring through the skies.

But then a wave of sadness falls on him. A rising sun on Cray means a rising sun back home. He will have to wake up soon.

He lays down on the dragon's shoulder, presses his face on the hard, smooth scales. 

The dragon shifts and suddenly he finds his limbs tangling in the air as the dragon lifts him from his perched spot and sets him onto his open hand. He looks up at the towering tyrant, makes eye contact before looking back down at his feet. “Can't I just stay here?”

The dragon snorts. “ _My Vanguard_ ,” he says, placing a claw on the top of his head. “ _Your connection to this world will wane soon whether you like it or not. While your spirit will surely cross over again to Cray, remember that I and the others of Kagero will always be there for you in battle_.”

His senses start to dull, his head turning heavy. But he smiles still, despite his spirit slowly disappearing from this world. The reminder that his cards, and his other self, will be there for him despite the turmoil in his life, makes waking up a little more easier.

\---

As he grew older, he found that his dreams of visiting Cray, watching the sun rise with his cherished units, appeared less and less, until one day they stopped all together.

It was lonely at first, as he had grew fond of them, but soon he finds companionship while he’s awake, meeting Ren, reconnecting with Miwa and the important of all, befriending Aichi.

It’s not until after his fight with Aichi, the realization that he can grasp the same power as him and Ren, does his soul start to float again to Cray.

He finds himself in the valley again, in just his t-shirt and sweats, the vast galaxy illuminated above his head. It’s beautiful, he thinks, but the true view is even higher than that.

It does not take long to hear the deafening flap of the wings, the galaxy blocked out by the looming shadow.

The dragon plucks him from the ground, wraps his claws around him tightly, firm but comfortable. And off they go, into the night sky.

He can't help but give off a wild grin as the wind blows through his hair, looking down at the scenery that speeds by him.

Soon, they find themselves in a familiar situation. The dragon, standing on the tallest cliff in the valley, with his vanguard sitting on his shoulder.

Of course, things have changed since he came here last. He doesn't talk as much as he used to, about much outside of Vanguard. He finds it much more comforting to sit in silence, mindlessly rubbing the smooth scales that feel soothing to touch.

A question, however, forms at the tip of his tongue.

“Are my visits here due to PSY-Qualia?”  
“ _Yes_.”

He chuckles, letting the answer set in. To think, despite how much he hated that power, that he had been subconsciously using it back when he was all alone, just him and his Vanguard cards. 

Did Aichi and Ren use it too like this? To fill the loneliness in their hearts when they were kids?

He thinks of that question as he watches the sky begin to brighten.

He wouldn't be surprised if they did. But, like him, they have changed too since their fragile childhood.

He stands up on the dragon's shoulder, the warm breeze whips around them as the sun breaks through the horizon. It's still a beautiful sight that inspires him.

“ _You've changed_.”

He jumps at the sound of the dragon's voice, who had been almost silent the whole time. “What?”

The dragon snorts. “ _You've changed from the tiny human who would cling to me and cry about leaving. Now you stand here prideful as I. Do you no longer fear opening your eyes_?”

“Oi,” he mumbles, flustered, rubbing the back of his head. But after his initial embarrassment, he gives an answer. “No, I don't. It's been hard, but I've made bonds with people I feel like...I can place my trust in them.”

It's like thanks to Vanguard, to each of his cards, to his true self.

“Open your hand so I can stand on it.”

The dragon does so, and he jumps down from the shoulder to the open hand. He reaches out, strokes the face of the tyrant. “I wanted to thank you for everything. Even when I had stopped visiting for a while, you and the rest of Kagero stayed with me, fought with me in every battle. So...thank you, Dragonic Overlord.”

The overlord snorts. For a moment, he can smell smoke emitting from his nostrils. “ _Kai, my Vanguard, why would I lie to you? I promised you my clan and this promise will continue until we are both dust. I shall continue with you on your path, no matter where it may lead, and watch you grow to even greater heights_.”

He smiles, even when he can feel his connection to Cray start to slip away. With his true self by his side, he knows he can even grasp the sun.


End file.
